Qatar in seven figures

Not far from Bahrain - 460 kilometres to the north-west by road - and Abu Dhabi, 570 kilometres to the south-east, the emirate of Qatar is located on a small peninsula jutting out into the Persian Gulf to the east of Saudi Arabia.

It covers an area of 11,437 km2, barely larger than the Gironde department, and has a population of two million, including 15,% of nationals and 85,% of immigrants, the majority of whom come from the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, etc.) and Arab countries (Egypt, Palestine).

The world's leading producer of liquefied natural gas, Qatar has seen impressive growth in its GDP in recent years, with an average of +15.7 % per year over the period 2007-2011. As a result, the emirate has become the second richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita, estimated at $99,000, compared with $43,000 in France. Hydrocarbons now account for 60 % of wealth creation.